In the fast-evolving world of Non-Destructive Testing (NDT), few individuals have made as significant an impact as Dr. Ajay Pasupuleti. With over 15 years of experience in image processing, data management, and archival technologies, Dr. Pasupuleti has not only pioneered innovations but also transformed the landscape of the NDT industry.
As the founder and CEO of Ooga Technologies and co-founder of NanoArk Corporation, his mission to digitalize and modernize NDT practices has led to groundbreaking advancements that enhance safety, efficiency, and knowledge preservation.
In this insightful interview, Dr. Pasupuleti shares his journey, the pivotal moments that shaped his career, and his visionary outlook on the future of NDT. His passion for innovation, commitment to solving industry pain points, and dedication to creating lasting value are sure to inspire both seasoned professionals and aspiring tech leaders alike.
Hello Mr. Ajay Pasupuleti, thank you for taking the time to participate in this interview. To begin, could you please introduce yourself and share a bit about your journey in the tech industry?
I’m an entrepreneur with over 15 years’ experience in image processing, data management, and archival technologies. As founder and CEO of Ooga Technologies I strive to bring the worldwide NDT community closer through the Ooga Platform by providing remote access to NDT expertise across the world to improve efficiencies, improve safety, and ensure key knowledge is not lost through attrition or retirement.
I’m also on a mission to digitalize the NDT industry. Through NanoArk Corporation, another company I co-founded, I have successfully converted 45 million industrial film radiographs to DICONDE compatible digital radiographs and continue to convert 3 million radiographs every year in the aerospace, defense, and oil and gas industries.
I received my Ph.D., in Electrical and Microsystems Engineering from Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester NY in 2006.
… you've had an extensive career, from your education at Anna University and RIT to your roles at NanoArk Corporation and now as CEO at Ooga Technologies. Can you share some pivotal moments that shaped your career? And is there a project you’re particularly proud of?
My entire life story feels driven by jumping at opportunity when it presents itself. For example, I never set out to do a PhD. When I finished my Masters, the opportunity opened up and my faculty advisor asked if I’d be interested. I’m so thankful I decided to go for it.
Another example of this is early on in my career I was given the opportunity to digitize and archive an 800-year-old palm leaf manuscript. Due to the significance and importance of the manuscript, we had to take special care in handling the manuscript and the images and any task performed had to be precise and accurate. This project taught me a lot about precision and I am very proud of this project.
Subsequently, I was involved in the development of the digitization ecosystem for radiographs for an aerospace casting company where we had to digitize 12 million radiographs in 2 years. Seeing this system through the design, development and successful implementation is another proud achievement in my career. I am happy to note this system is currently in operation and completed over 45 Million scans.
Lastly, I am very proud of the launch of the Ooga NDT collaboration platform. We are building a remote NDT platform, which leverages the power of cloud computing to bring needed support to the NDT industry by making it easier to get connected to the best expertise across the globe in a matter of hours.
I’m also really proud of the fact we’ve helped clients get onsite services and the NDT support they need. It turns out this specific pain point is quite common and our NDT staffing marketplace has proved to be a great service for our clients while also driving growth at Ooga.
… while research, we noticed you have a patent for a wafer-scale image archiving and receiving system. Can you elaborate on the innovation process behind it?
Waferfiche® is the trademark for wafer-scale image archiving and receiving system. It is a system that was built for archiving images on a substrate in a human readable form for centuries. Waferfiche® is fire and water-resistant and can withstand high-temperature fluctuations thereby making it an ideal medium for long-term storage of data.
The innovation process behind this technology stemmed from the project to digitize an 800-year-old palm leaf.
It was a fascinating project because this palm leaf took so much time to create, but it was also a lasting piece of data.
It helped me realize there could be a new way to capture these images. This helped me see first-hand why it’s important to think bigger about how we can archive data.
It also led to the creation of the wafer-scale image archiving and receiving system, Waferfiche®.
… can you provide an example of how your leadership in technology or product management led to a significant breakthrough or success?
Before 2011, I had never heard of NDT. We were involved in providing imaging tools and systems for archiving of data.
It so happened that a casting company approached one of our partners for help. They had a warehouse of 12 million radiographs that needed to be digitized.
Those partners referred them to us because we had done related work. They needed this data archived in a specific way where it truly met specific requirements while also making economic sense.
As a fun fact: there was silver in each radiograph that we could use to pay for the conversion. Plus, through digitization, it saved extraordinary costs by removing the need to pay for storage.
12 years ago digitization of radiographs was not a new topic for the aerospace industry. However, for various reasons, digitization was not allowed.
My team and I were successful in not only getting the necessary approvals, but we were able to design a process that ensured the cost of digitization was covered by the reclamation of the sliver present in the film.
So far, since we started, we have done about 45 million sheets of conversion at the rate of 3 million / year.
What we realized is that we were bringing continuous improvement / efficiencies into the NDT industry. Once I learned more about NDT, I got fascinated with it and went into the industry full-time.
Ooga was born because we knew of the problems the organizations were experiencing and, up until now, they were often simply putting a bandaid on these problems versus having the solutions needed to solve them.
It's clear you have a knack for leading innovation. What are your next big goals for Ooga Technologies, and what challenges do you anticipate in achieving them?
In the next 3 to 5 years I foresee that our platform will be the worldwide leader in the online NDT collaboration / cloud computation area.
We see Ooga becoming the go-to platform for operating, managing, and analyzing NDT digitally.
We believe our biggest challenge will be the speed of adoption of digital/ advanced NDT methods in the industry.
… it's always intriguing to hear about the future from someone as experienced as you. What trends do you foresee shaping the industry in the next five years?
I believe the NDT industry is heading towards complete automation in data acquisition across all industry applications.
This could lead to redefining the roles and certification process for NDT level 1 inspectors.
Along these lines, our NDT level 3s could be spending more time with large volumes of data sets and AI tools.
AI will also be able to support inspections and make decision-making better.
We expect simulators to get more realistic, which will elevate the industry’s effectiveness for the better.
… what has been your most rewarding experience in your career so far?
My career has been centered around listening to customer pain points and finding innovative, out-of-the-box technical solutions. This has been the most rewarding experience for me.
… however, mentors indeed play a crucial role. Who are the connections or mentors that have had the most significant impact on your professional growth?
I was fortunate to meet Prof. P. R. Mukund (professor Emeritus at RIT) during my Masters. Since then, he has been my mentor and spiritual teacher. One of his books, 10 Gunas (https://a.co/d/7zHsnV4), had the most significant impact on my professional growth
… what advice would you give to someone just starting out in the tech industry, particularly in the field of NDT?
Do things right. Don’t take shortcuts. It’ll make all of the difference.
When you focus on , problems, the rewards will automatically come.
… speaking of insights, What would you say are the three most important skills for someone aspiring to be a tech leader?
I believe the three most important skills are listening, contemplating, and solving. Hopefully one learns to do these skills in the order listed.
… can you share a quote or mantra that has inspired you throughout your career?
Do good for society and whatever good you put out into the world, it’ll come back to you. It's essential to relax and recharge.
… on a lighter note, how do you unwind yourself? What activities do you like to do on your vacations?
I like wine and bourbon-tasting tours. Outside of that I enjoy RVing with my family
Finally, what are your thoughts on OnestopNDT? Do you think our efforts to provide real, authentic, and accurate content are helping the industry? Also, do you think our platform helps the community connect with like-minded people?
I really appreciate the OnestopNDT’s approach to this work. I appreciate that you integrate with LinkedIn and really focus on reach. You also understand the key need of the industry, which is collaboration.
I also appreciate that you take the lead on creative and are a true partner in content creation.
